Is Batman #5 A Vertigo Comic?

Scott Snyder is a writer who came to fame working on American Vampire Stephen King for DC Vertigo. But then he was picked to write Detective Comics and then Batman in the New 52. He’s also writing the previously-Vertigoed Swamp Thing.

But this week’s Batman #5 is vertigo on a different level.

Back in the seventies, Dave Sim published an issue of his amazing Cerebus comic that saw the titular character in an rather unfortunate state, finding his whole world twisting. As did the page. Gradually, angle by angle, the narrative began to turn on the page, increasing as you turn the page, eventually spinning the narrative round and round and round. And you found yourself following it, twisting the comic book to match.

Batman is undergoing a similar ritual in today’s new comic by Scott Snyder and Greg Capullo. As Gotham wonders about a missing Batman, shining a light into the darkness, we folow Batman’s ordeal, taken by the Order Of The Owl.

And so we have a maze. And… um a large statue of an owl. Hmmm. Suddenly I’m flashing to the giant white Cerebus statue that we suddenly come across.

Anyway, we have a trapped Batman, a hallucinating Batman, being shown images and object by the Order in an attempt to drive him mad, break his spirit or just taunt him.

Comics courtesy of Orbital Comics in London. Why not check out their new website – and the podcast I found myself on the tail end of last Saturday.